It’s #SpringPantryPurge month, friends! And if you thought I was going to quit at just a few creations from the deep depths of my kitchen cabinets, well, you were wrong. Today I’m showing some shelf-stable love to one of my favorite humble ingredients: beans.
Ah, beans. So often maligned in children’s rhymes, and yet such a healthy weeknight staple.
I’ve long relied on dried and canned beans as a budget crutch. But in the last year, since starting The Wellness Project, I’ve come to realize how central beans and legumes are to a healthy diet. They are one of the world’s oldest superfoods, and were the strongest constant in the diets of every centenarian population studied in Dan Buettner’s The Blue Zones Solution. And it’s no surprise that all of these fiber- and complex-carb-rich foods are also favorites of your industrious gut critters.
If you’re still thinking about those children’s songs, as my favorite gut scientists, The Sonnenburgs, like to say: “the only cure for an intolerance of beans is a steady diet of beans.” So cue up the latest season of House of Cards and plan a romantic week on the couch for you and your black bean chili.
My hoarder ways tend to leave me with many jars of dried beans. And my laziness and last minute planning tend to mean that I always forget to use them. So for the next few weeks I’m going to get a bowl of these bad boys soaking on Saturday so I can cook up a one pot meal for the week ahead on Sunday.
To help with menu planning, I’ve rounded up some great healthy weeknight recipes for black, pinto, kidney, and white beans (plus, some chickpeas for good measure). I hope these tasty dishes from around the web help you work your way through the dried beans stashed at the back of your cabinets. And if you don’t have any jars to pull from, perhaps this will be the push you need to rehoard some protein-rich plant-based options for this Meatless Monday and beyond.
In other news, I’m finally back on the best coast after a month (!!) of traveling and working remotely out in California. I practically ripped the weary Zara threads from my body and swan dived into my bed last night.
It was a very productive month of eating and mingling with some great people in the food world. But so much time away was also pretty destabalizing. It’s nice to have my pantry back at hand, dried beans, half-eaten chutneys, random spices et al. Not to mention my two sous chefs.
Have a favorite weeknight bean recipe? Share the shelf stable love in the comments!
From one healthy (bean-loving) hedonist, to another,
Xoxo
Phoebe
Black Beans
Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers | Minimalist Baker
Healthy Turkey Chili with Black Beans and Jalapeno | Feed Me Phoebe
Quinoa Black Bean Tacos | Cookie + Kate
Cumin-Lime Black Bean and Quinoa Salad | Oh She Glows
Mexican Sweet Potato and Black Bean Hash | Feed Me Phoebe
Kidney Beans
Beans and Greens Tacos | With Food + Love
Spanish Quinoa Pilaf with Chorizo and Kidney Beans | Feed Me Phoebe
Kidney Bean Salad with Cilantro and Dijon | The Mediterranean Dish
Rajma Masala | Veg Recipes of India
Mexican Kidney Bean Fried Rice | Connoisseurus Veg
Pinto Beans
Spicy Sofritas Veggie Bowls | Pinch of Yum
Pinto Bean Tacos with Salsa Verde | Healthy Green Cooking
Huevos Rancheros Sandwiches | Closet Cooking
Pork and Pinto Bean Chili | Domesticate Me
Homemade Pinto Beans with Bacon and Fried Jalapeno | Heather Christo
White Beans
White Bean and Fennel Seed Soup with Crispy Brussels Sprouts | What’s Cooking Good Looking
Portuguese Kale and White Bean Soup (Caldo Verde) | Feed Me Phoebe
Skillet White Bean Casserole with White Beans and Parmesan Croutons | Well Plated
Creamy White Bean and Tomato Soup | Love and Lemons
Vegan Buffalo Patties with Avocado Dip | Food Faith Fitness
Chickpeas
Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup with Crispy Curried Chickpeas | Feed Me Phoebe
Hemp-Crusted Salmon with Beet Hummus | Feed Me Phoebe
Chickpea Ratatouille | Feed Me Phoebe
Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Chickpeas, Carrots and Kale | Feed Me Phoebe
Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Chickpeas, Zucchini and Olives | Feed Me Phoebe
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Any favorite healthy weeknight bean recipes from around the web? Please make some recs in the comments section!
What an awesome resource! I cannot wait. My family would love that for dinner.
This list is great Phoebe! So many easy and amazing ideas!
so glad you find it helpful/inspiring!!
Fantastic roundup! As you well know, this is a list that any Greek would greatly appreciate:) Since you visited Greece in the summer you didn’t have the opportunity to taste our national dish “fasolada”, a hearty bean soup we enjoy from Fall to Spring. We do hope you’ll try it yourself though, it’s very easy and very nutritious, with navy beans, carrots, selino (you can also use celery), onions and EVOO (Optionally you can add some tomato paste as well).
Loved the list, we especially liked the beans and greens tacos! We made tacos with our own shells (frying some whole wheat tortillas) recently and LOVED them, with kidney beans, avocado, Greek yogurt, Mexican salsa and Gouda.
Thank you so much dear Phoebe!
xoxoxo
ooo Fasolada sounds SO delicious!! I might have to get that it before the weather turns too warm over here! xoxox
Most beans make me puff up and fart, except those little French lentils which I adore? Do you need to soak these at all? Because I’m often in a hurry too and have forgotten to soak.
you don’t have to! but it helps cut down on cooking time and make for a more even texture. But I often skip it.
Nicely written.. Hope my family would love this on our new house visit.. I am going to give them this surprise bean recipes